The Power of the Sun
by Alsodef
Summary: AU; No Institute or League. Shurima has declared war on all of Valoran, threatening all who live there. Will feature most of the known champions, since the fate of everyone is on the line. Rated M for Death, Character Death and probably lots of Blood and Sand. [Non-scheduled updates, Chapter 3: Last Queen Standing]
1. The Brink of War

**Over here, it`s only 7 hours till the start of the new year. And this will probably be my last update for this year. To anybody who is here, I wish you all a happy New Year, let`s hope that it`s a good one, aye? **

**Now, about this story: I have to practise combat and such, and decided to write a big war, to make sure that there would be plenty of it. Regarding the current situation: There is no League, and the Shurima Empire appeared several days ago. At the start of the story, Azir has declared war on all of Valoran. This story will feature a lot of different city-states, individuals and POV`s, and these will change throughout the story as well.  
I hope that you enjoy. Please tell me what you think of this, and who you`d like to see, or to die.  
**

_**This story will be rated M for the reason of Blood, death and Character death. **_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - The Brink of War**

"And I tell you, we do not stand a chance if we are on our own, Great General!"  
"Darius, you`re my most trusted general, and the Hand of Noxus. Don`t tell me you`re just as treacherous as those assassins."  
"What did you say, Swain?" A woman hissed.  
"Everyone knows of your feelings towards the commander of the enemy`s Vanguard. What was his name again? Garen or something?" The great General added.  
"I have NO feelings for that stupid idiot whatsoever. Every little bit of feelings I might once have had for him was on the battlefield, where he was the only one who could stand against me. And you know that very, very well Swain."  
"Hmpf, I know that you`re just like your father, Katarina, always ready to turn your back on Noxus."  
The redheaded Assassin didn`t waste a second and pulled out her blade. In one instant, she appeared behind the general, a blade on his throat.  
"No ill words about my father, Swain. I know you were somehow involved in his disappearance, and one day I`ll bring you to justice."  
"Miss Katarina, let go of him. He isn`t worth your efforts." A hooded man in the corner of the room said.  
"You`re right, Talon. My blades are too precious for his blood." And just as fast as she had appeared behind Swain, she stood beside Talon.  
Swain moved his hand towards his throat, and lifted his walking stick.  
"Back to the urgent question. How do we profit from this? How can we deal with this self-proclaimed "Emperor"?

...

"My King, Lord Lightshield. The nobles of Demacia have gathered their own forces, and the Army is ready to move out. Our scouts are on their way to the Shurima Desert, and the Vanguard is completely yours to command, Sire." A large man in shiny armor said, while standing tall and proud in front of his king.  
"Great work, commander. You once again prove yourself as the perfect person in the perfect position. How about our special forces?" King Jarvan Lightshield the Third replied.  
"My king, they are mobilized and ready to move. However…"  
"What is it Garen? You know that you can always speak freely around me."  
"I don`t know, Sire. I fear that Demacia might not be able to do this on their own. And we have to think about the Noxians as well. Those treacherous rats would certainly try to get stronger through this. And they will wait for us to weaken both ourselves and the enemy, before going into battle themselves. Or even worse, they`ll just ignore Shurima and march onto Demacia."  
"You`re right to have fears. But I can assure you, I have long taken care of the border. It has been filled with traps and poison long ago."  
"Poison, my lord? What kind of poison?" Garen`s voice sounded offended by the mention of Demacia using such dishonorable ways.  
"It`s an essence extracted from certain mushrooms around Bandle City. We`ve had a delegation of "Scouts" here a few years back. They agreed with us to arm the forest, and to maintain the traps, in exchange for a certain degree of military protection and trade."  
"I see, you`ve been a great king, Sir Jarvan Lightshield. It was an honor to serve your reign. May it last as long as possible."  
"Good luck, Captain. Try to win…"  
And with those words, Jarvan Lightshield the Third watched his most trusted commander leave, heading for the barracks to make his last preperations.

...

"Sheriff, big trouble. Shurima has declared war on every city state on the continent, as well as the Isles. Demacia and Noxus have mobilized their troops, and Demacia has asked Piltover to join their conquest against the Emperor of Shurima. What should we do?"  
"Well, this would have happened sooner or later. I have been expecting it for a while."  
Caitlyn rose from her chair behind her desk, and walked to the other side of the room. Pressing the communicator, she chose the Piltover Science Department, HQ.  
"Heimerdinger? It`s time, Shurima has declared war on all of Valoran. Mobilize your department, and deploy the cavalry."  
She touched the screen of her communicator again, and turned back to the employee in her office.  
"Send word to Ionia as fast as possible, I want their ambassador on my doorstep within the next ten minutes. And sound the alarms, tell everyone on the Government buildings to execute plan Zero."  
"Yes, milady. It will be done." He said before rushing out.  
The sheriff touched her communicator again.  
"Attention, citizens of Piltover! This is your Sheriff speaking. As of this moment, we`re officially at war. The emperor of Shurima has declared war on all of Valoran. From this moment, the Armed Police has control, and plan Zero has been activated. Everyone, hurry to the closest depot, and get yourself armed. In case of emergency, we want everyone capable to defend him- or herself. This is not a drill! I repeat: This is not a drill! Please follow the instructions of the Police around the town. That is it, briefing will be in a few minutes."  
The sheriff sighed and walked back to her desk. She pushed a hidden button and watched as a secret compartment opened up.  
"I`m back, sweetie." She said before her hextech-sniper booted itself up from her touch.

...

"Captain! Great alarm! Captain!" The young Yordle boy said.  
"Calm yourself, Jonas."  
"But Sir, Teemo, Shurima has declared war on Bandle City. We can`t be calm!"  
"We have to. Panicking will get us nowhere. Yes, we are at war with Shurima, but so is the rest of Valoran. Send out our scouts, try to get as much information as possible. We mobilize at once, but we need information and allies first. Call Veigar back from his mission. And make sure we contact Ziggs and Heimerdinger and get intel on Piltover`s business."  
"Yes sir… I`ll do my best for sure."  
"Very good."  
"But sir… Are we… Can we survive this?"  
The Captain and protector of the Scout`s Code looked at the young boy. "The Scout`s Code has never failed us. I`m sure it won`t do so this time. We`re going to be fine, Jonas. Now do your job, and make sure everybody knows exactly what is going on."  
"Yes sir, I`m sorry sir." He said before rushing out. Teemo turned his eyes towards the skirts of Bandle City, his hometown since the day he was born.  
"Well," He whispered to nobody but himself. "We`re in for a lot of action…"

...

"Master."  
"Yes, I feel it as well, my dear student."  
"It`s starting, isn`t it?"  
"Yes, my boy. And the world will never be the same."  
"Can we win this? Master Yi?"  
"Hope is our strongest weapon now, Wukong. And it has yet to fail us."

"Master Yi!" A new voice shouted.  
"Ah… Let me guess, the Elders require my attention?"  
"Yes sir. We`re at war now, all the fighters of Ionia will be mobilized. That goes for you as well, master Wukong."  
"Yes, I know. We`ll both be on our way within the hour. Tell them that we`re coming."  
The boy left and Wukong turned to his master. "The council will be busy now, and preparing for diplomatic interactions with all the other city-states. Keep your ears up, my dear monkey. Your ears up and your stick close."

...

"You all know why I`ve gathered you here, don`t you?"  
"Of course we do, my lord Mordekaiser. We have to decide our side in this war, don`t we?" The green Wraith said.  
"That is correct, Warden. That`s why the seven of you are here. We have three options in this war. Of course we could fight the person that had the guts to declare war on the Shadow Isles. Our second option is to wait for the battle to enroll, and gather as much information as possible before we go in. The third option would be to offer the Emperor of Shurima an alliance. The Shadow Isles have changed since he died, I suspect that he just doesn`t know what he`d be up against if he were to fight us. That gives us an advantage against him, but also the option to be a valuable ally."  
"I`d say that we stay down for a little while. We observe, gather information and deal with the survivors."  
"Yes, that would be my thoughts as well, Deathsinger. I suggest we build up our armies, and send Eve and Hecarim forward to scout. Thus I decide, ride out Hecarim. For the glory of the Isles!"  
The council of the Isles split apart. Eve prepared for her journey, while Hecarim just left towards the sea in-between the continent and the Shadow Isles.  
"Yorick," the Warden spoke, "I want you to dig up some more ghouls again. We have to raise an army. Karthus, you come with me. We`ll write them a lovely song…"

...

"All the countries around our sunburned land have mobilized themselves, my emperor. But they will not be able to withstand the true power of Shurima. Do you want to march already? Or will we wait?" The young woman said to the deity in front of her.  
"We will wait, Sivir. We let them enter our desert, and engulf them with its sand. The sun will tear them apart, and we`ll deal with the leftovers. We wait for now, but they will come soon. I suspect them to fight among themselves first, since some of them have been enemies for a very long time now. They might approach us with diplomats, and some will offer their allegiance to us. But all of them will burn before the great sun of Shurima!"  
The Blade Mistress gave her emperor a short nod. "Yes, my liege. As you command."


	2. Red Snow

_**A/N: While Azir is making his preperations, and all others are preparing for the war with Shurima, there is one place that is already at war. And before they can support any side of the war, they have to sort out things among themselves. Keep in mind that this story is me, practising how to kill people, tell me what you think of it, and have a great weekend with this first part of the civil war.  
-Alsodef**_

_**P.s.: Regarding the perspective, it might be a bit confusing every now and then, it is in 3rd person, but basically every break means a "soft switch" of the perspective. **_

* * *

**Chapter Two - Red Snow**

_The Frozen Lake near High Peak, a place like no other. It is -and this should not come as a surprise- cold. Very cold. It`s unique because of many reasons. For one, the Frozen Lake is a battlefield where in the past many large battles were fought. For some reason, kings, queens and generals are always drawn to this place. And so was it this time. It was several weeks before the declaration of global war by the Mad Emperor of Shurima, that the final battle between Winter's Claw and the Avarosan was fought. A battle that would decide the fate of the Freljord._

_The Avarosan had taken their positions on the steps of High Peak, a hill next to the Frozen Lake, and the only height in the area. Sejuani has set up encampment several kilometres away from this hill. Her army holds many strong soldiers, and armored boars. If the battlefield would just be fought on a plains somewhere, they would have crushed the Avarosan. Since Ashe and her commanders knew this just as well as me, they took position on a high hill, a huge advantage to archers if your opponent is mainly cavalry-based. _

_What follows next is the report of the last stand of the Avarosan, as written by Feorlas the Scholar. It`s mainly based on the reports from eyewitnesses and facts that the writer deems unavoidable due to the laws of warfare. _

"My Queen, the enemy has taken position at High Peak. What is your command?"  
"My command? We do as usual; We equip our armor, mount our boars and move on the enemy`s position. That Avarosan bitch will regret the moment that she took up the bow from her ancestor. And her soldiers will regret the fact that they were blind enough to follow her and her foolish conquest for 'peace'" Sejuani, leader of the Winter's Claw, and self-proclaimed Queen of the Freljord spitted out the last word, which was in her eyes a foolish goal. There would never be peace, not with Ashe. Her rule was too weak, and the Freljord would perish against the bigger forces as Noxus or Demacia. That was why this war was necessary, why Ashe had to be defeated.  
"Yes, my Queen. It will be done. I`ll make sure they prepare Bristle for the assault."  
"Good, thank you. We will have victory, and we will have it today." She reassured the soldier, who bowed and walked out of the tent.

Sejuani walked outside and noticed how the entire encampment was in turmoil. Everywhere she looked, soldiers were moving around, or guiding boars out of the encampment towards the frontline. Across the Frozen Lake, there was High Peak, the place these cowards had fled to, and the place that they had chosen to be their grave.

"Hurry with those pikes! We won't stand a chance if those blasted boars get through. Place them on the foot of this hill, halfway through and in front of the archers. Cut down the entire forest if you have to!"  
"Yes Milady Ashe. It will be done, immediately!" The soldier said. It was a young boy, judging on his looks not older than fifteen. Ashe sighed, she wasn`t sure if this young boy would survive the day. She wasn't sure if anyone of them would. She didn`t doubt her soldiers, but she knew better that underestimating the Winter's Claw. She walked through the encampment, making sure preparations for this final battle would be done before the battle would actually start.  
Without her really noticing it, she had walked up the high hill, and stood in front of a small shrine, dedicated to her ancestor, Avarosa. Placing her bow in front of the shrine, she kneeled down and closed her eyes.  
"Mother Avarosa, give me the strenght to endure this day. Give me the strength to defeat my enemy. Give me the strength to defend my people. Give me the strength to fulfill my dream. Mother Avarosa, make me strong enough for this fight. One last time, I beg you. Protect me in this battle, and guide my arrows to their targets. For I do not wish to strike them down, but I have to defend my clan and people. Mother, I will fulfill your dream and unite the Freljord. Be with me today, be with me and give me strength."

Sejuani sat on Bristle, her most trusted companion, while her voice reached to the far edges of her troops. "Today, we deal with our enemies. The Avarosan never acknowledged the power of strength, and failed to recognise the foolishness of their plans and future. There can only be peace through war, that is what we believe, and that is what we fight for! My dear warriors, my friends, I ask you to ride with me one last time. One last fight, here on the steps of High Peak, to decide the fate of the Freljord. Our fate! We cannot turn back now, we have come so far! Only one last step, and our families and ancestors will finally know peace. One last fight, my soldiers. One last time, I require your blade, your shield, your hammer and your boar. One last fight, and we can return home. Brothers, sisters, Are you with me?"  
The army of the Winter's Claw roared, and the entire frozen landscape seemed to shake on its foundations.  
"To battle, Winter's Claw! Chaaarge!"  
The hornblowers blew the signal that was loved by every soldier of Sejuani`s Army, the signal of the charge, and all the boars started to move. Slowly first, but increasing their speed on every step that they came closer to the hill.

_Sejuani moves all her forces forward at once, hoping to overwhelm the Avarosan with sheer force and reach their archers before they would have dealt too much damage to her forces._

"There they come!" Someone shouted.  
Ashe took a deep breath, and turned around to look at her soldiers.  
"Brave Avarosan, this is our final stand! We can no longer run away, this will be our last battle. We fight against our brothers and sisters, but they have been blinded by hate and power. Take them down, but don`t do so with joy in your hearts. I will personally mourn every man and every woman that will die today, but I want you to know that your deaths, will not be in vain. We will not lose, not here and not today. They are heavy armed, and their armor is thick, but with your courage, and with your arrows, we will be able to stop them. Do not fear, do not doubt. Stand with me, my brothers and sisters, and we can make our last step towards peace!"  
The soldiers cheered for their beautiful queen, and raised their wooden pikes and longbows towards the cold morning sky.  
"Take your positions men. Every squad, pikes and shieldbearers on the front, archers behind them. Squad D and H are to remain behind for backup, both of you are under command of the barbarian king Tryndamere. Nunu, you and your Yeti are to deliver back-up in the way that you think is needed, wherever it is needed, understood?" The young boy gave her a nod, and looked at his Yeti.  
"Is there any word from Anivia as of yet? Or Braum perhaps?" Ashe asked, but one of her commanders shook his head.  
"No, we cannot reach them anymore. Perhaps they have received our message, and are on their way, or they haven't, and they will never come. We can't tell anymore."  
The Queen sighed and turned around, her face turned towards the Frozen Lake, and all the hostile boars and soldiers that were advancing on their position.  
"Frost Bees, ready your bows!" She shouted, and a small part of the archer squads pointed their longbows towards the enemy, who were still almost more than a kilometer away.  
"Bows at four left, seven high!" She shouted while aiming her own bow in the same direction as her archers.  
"Pull!" And one-hundred-and-one strings were pulled back at the same time.  
"Avarosa, guide our arrows." She whispered.  
"Loose!"

_Ashe moves her forces in their defensive positions. Placing pikemen on the front in an attempt to stop the boars from reaching her archers. Her archers take their positions, and launch their volleys at heavily armored boars and warriors. The Frost Bees is the name for Ashe`s squad of longbowmen, who are said to have the ability to fire their volleys over a distance of more than a kilometre. _

There was fighting all around, and Bristle and Sejuani were in the middle of everything. Her flail of True Ice struck goal at every blow, and Bristle kept her in his saddle, and trampled over many Avarosi warriors. They were winning, over here at least. "Olaf! Report!" She said to the warrior that had rushed to her side just a moment ago.  
"This left flank is secured, my queen. But the Barbarian King and his soldiers still manage to be wherever you are not, dealing great damage to our warriors. And we need to stop those blasted archers before they turn the tide of the battle in their favor.  
Sejuani cursed, and pushed her heels in Bristle`s flanks. Her boar turned to motion, and they headed to the eastern flank to fend off the Barbarians, even though she knew that they would probably be gone before she would be there. A new wave of arrows rained down on her troops, and her soldiers that didn`t raise their shields in time, roared in anger and pain, or -what was even more terrible- just stayed quiet and fell.  
"Damn it! I hate those arch-" Another one of her soldiers was struck by an arrow, one that would have hit Sejuani, would he not have been there. The boy dropped to the ground, his hands clawing at his own throat. He spitted blood and looked up at Sejuani. "My… My queen… Tell my father… Tell him how I died. Please…" Sejuani looked down at him from Bristle`s back and nodded, even though she didn`t knew his name, let alone his father`s. "Thank you… My queen..." He said, just before his last breath left him. The arrow in his chest was one made of pure ice.

_The High Barbarians, a squad of the finest warriors that Tryndamere would ever assemble, deliver support to the Avarosan flanks. High Barbarians are said to be cast into rage when they enter a battle, granting the ability to ignore pain and fatigue. This turns them into a strikeforce that is without command, but that will slash their way through the enemy as long as needed. Sejuani tries to stop them with her own Queen`s guard, but is unsuccessful thus far. Her guard is still standing strong, but when she is not there to stop the enemy`s advance her forces suffer. Morale is still high, but it catches several tough blows now and then. The arrows of the Avarosan start to claim their prices on the Winter's Claw soldiers that are too tired to lift their shield, or among those who just can`t pay attention to everything at once._

The Barbarian was coated in crimson. Many of his fellow warriors were in the well-known state of blood rage, and their blades were cleaving straight through iron, tusk and flesh. They were cutting their way through the enemy lines, but Tryndamere knew that his company was nearing their end. With more and more of his warriors going into this frenzy, a state in which they were unreasonable and blinded by rage and hatred for their enemies, Tryndamere could no longer steer them to the places where they needed to be. They were on their own, and so were the armies of his beloved wife. He mourned the fact that they hadn`t have the time to say a proper goodbye to each other, and he mourned the fact that his bloodline would end with him. Tryndamere had accepted death already, and so had his soldiers. But he would not accept defeat, not yet. Torgsen fell, and only seven of them were left. "For the Queen!" He roared, and his men said something similar, Tryndamere thought. They stormed at the enemy again, not trying to break out of their surrounding, but to take as many of those bloody bastards with them.

_The High Barbarians, their numbers now thin, launch a last assault at the enemy`s right flank. Ready to die with the greatest honor that a barbarian would ever know, on the battlefield with a weapon in their hands and coated in the enemy`s blood._

"Tryndamere has engaged once more, Queen Ashe. He will not return this time, I fear."  
The descendent of Avarosa sighed and held back her tears. "We will honor his sacrifice when we have time to mourn. Yggdrai, take over the command of the archers, I`ll head to the frontlines."  
"My Queen, you cannot…" Yggdrai`s voice died in his throat when he looked at his Queen`s eyes. "Yes my Queen, as you command."  
"Good, Squad H, with me." She shouted, and the squad of rangers came into motion, marching behind their Queen, as one solid unit, ready to kill and find meet their fate on the battlefield.

_Struck by the loss of her husband and king, and presented with the opportunity to turn the tide, Ashe takes one of her Ranger squads with her and throws herself into battle. These Rangers are clever, strong warriors who are skilled with a lot of weapons. With their shortbows, they can struck death from a distance, but with their double daggers they are equally deadly in close combat. With Ashe joining the frontlines, the morale of her soldiers nearby will raise sky-high, and she is not a weak fighter herself either. _

Olaf ran next to Sejuani and Bristle and reported the most recent news to his queen. "Sejuani, reports from the center of our forces claim that the pretender herself has showed up. Will we react?"  
Sejuani looked at her second in command, smiled at him and turned Bristle to the left, towards the center. "Olaf, you take control of this flank. I`ll go and support Volibear, and end this fight right there. If the see their precious queen`s head separated from her frail body, their courage will break and they will surrender to our forces."  
"Yes, Queen Sejuani. May the goddess of war be with you."

_Sejuani and the Queen`s Guard move towards the center of all the action, killing everyone in their way. However, their advance wasn`t fast enough. For the enemy leader, Queen Ashe Avarosa, was already there..._

All her arrows struck their goal, point blank. She was a demon, an ice witch and a terror on the battlefield. Even the most hardened and veteran soldiers of the Winter's Claw didn`t stand a chance. There was a flash of blue, a small pinprick somewhere in between the eyes, and then the everlasting dark. The Rangers did their duty of protecting their Queen, and it was clear that no one of her enemies would stand even the smallest chance to get near her, let alone lift a weapon. Ashe summoned another arrow, and pulled her bowstring back once more. The familiar hissing sound was like music to the female archer. All her sympathy and remorse she once had had gone down with her husband. Her Tryndamere, he wasn`t supposed to die, not now, not ever. He was the only one that Ashe had ever loved, and now he was no more. Archers were no High Barbarians, and there had never been any reports about archers that went on a Blood Rage, but the queen of the Avarosan was certainly close to the edge of madness.  
In front of her, an Ursine showed up. Ashe knew him from previous battles and reports, for this was Volibear, the Thunder's Roar. His magic and claws tore apart three of her rangers before he looked at Ashe. "As fate decrees, you will die. Farewell."  
With a roar, Volibear ran straight at her, ignoring the rangers on her sides and going straight for Ashe. Shocked at the sight, Ashe was late with her reaction, and only one arrow flew towards the Ursine.

He would tear her apart. This pretender, the woman who killed so many of his friends. He would kill her, for all the time she had made his leader suffer. Thunder gathered around his claws while Volibear ran closer and closer to his victim. His enemy only managed to shoot one arrow before he was at her.

She was going to die. She had failed her clan, Avarosa, her mother, her friends and her husband. She was going to die. She had failed, and the last arrow that had departed from her bow had took her hopes with it. The Ursine roared and threw her against the ground, the shock knocking her bow out of her hands. The boar was on top of her, and she was going to die.

"I am the chosen of the storm, bitch. Did you seriously thought that you and your pitiable army stood even the smallest chance against me?" He waited for Ashe to reply, but all she did was looking up at his face with a hint of disgust. "No last words? You`re a coward. I do not pity cowards." He said, and his claw moved to her throat.

Ashe tried her hardest to get out of the Ursine`s grasp, but it didn`t matter. He was too strong, or she was too weak. Her vision showed her stars now, and dark spots blurred her eyes. Not long before she would faint.  
"Yah!" Someone shouted, and the boar was suddenly knocked off her. Ashe gasped for air, and looked at her ally, who had taken a defensive stance between her and the boar.

That bastard was busy strangling his queen. From now on, Gragas would hate bears, especially when they had anything to do with thunder. He took a gulp from his barrel, and moved his three hundred kilograms of pure fat and skin towards the scene.  
When he stood next to the bear, still unnoticed, he took another drink and placed the barrel on the front. The Ursine was too focused on Ashe, who`s movement had stopped. The last few meters were a 'sprint', and he yelled when he slammed right into the bear, knocking him off his beloved queen.

"You will not touch my lady, you piece of alcohol free shit. I will deal with you." The fat man said.  
After the first moments of shock, Volibear moved back on his paws, and took a better look at his opponent. It was the infamous Gragas, someone with more fat than muscle, and even less brain than muscle, that stood in front of the pretender. Volibear showed his teeth, in what might have been a laugh. "Is that a challenge, fatty? Then let the storm follow in my wake!"  
Gragas picked up his barrel once more, and pointed his head forward to the bear. "You`re gonna have one hell of an happy hour, bear."

Ashe stumbled around, still weakened by the Ursine`s assault, looking for her bow. Though she doubted if she had enough power to wield it right now, it would make her feel much safer. Three of her rangers came running towards her.  
"My Queen, thank Avarosa that you`re alive. We feared the worst when that bear appeared."  
"It was thanks to Gragas, he`s keeping the Ursine busy right now. I... " Ashe coughed several times, still out of breath. "I need my bow, and the forces need to know that I`m still alive. Out of breath, but alive."  
The ranger on her left nodded and ran off towards the hill. While the other two helped their queen searching for her bow.

"You`re too slow, fat man, is it because of your body, your age or because of your drinking?" His opponent said while dodging most of the punches of Gragas. He was being played with, and Gragas knew it. He had to end this fight, fast, before his condition would start to fail him.  
"I`m not fat, just slightly overweight, you scrub." He huffed, missing another punch. The bear laughed straight in his face, and danced around Gragas.  
"You know, the two of us probably would have been great friends Gragas, it`s sad that I have to kill you."

"The weight in her hands was extremely reassuring to Ashe. She looked over to Gragas, and his fighting with Volibear. He was losing, and his opponent was just playing with him now.  
Not wasting a single extra second, Ashe conjured a new arrow on her bow and took aim.

Pain, hissing pain. His back, right underneath his armor. An arrow, cold. Wounded, but not fatal. These shards of thoughts flew through the Ursine`s head. He had been struck by an arrow, probably made of ice. The pretender was back on her feet, and had recovered her bow. He would have to finish this fight f… He took a punch straight to the face, a punch with two hundred kilogram behind it, giving it enough strength to displace his jaw. Volibear stumbled back, and looked at the fat guy with blurred vision.  
"Try to dodge this now!"

Every punch was dead-on, and Volibear was heavily on the defensive, without success. A second arrow struck his back, and the bear's body curved backwards because of the blow. Gragas took the chance, and gave him an uppercut with his right arm. The bear fell down on his back, pushing the arrow further in. It pierced a lung, and immediately Volibear felt that breathing became harder. Gragas towered over him now, and shook his head.  
"I`m sorry, Volibear, you were a worthy opponent. I`ll give you the honor of the acid, and grant you a swift dead. We`ll drink together on the other side, farewell."  
With these words, he slammed down his barrel, smashing it on top of Volibear`s skull. Both broke, and the bear felt that his end was nearing rapidly. The last thing that came to his senses, was the strong smell of Graggy Ice, mixed with the smell of iron and blood.

From her position, Sejuani had a clear view on the fight between Volibear and the fat guy. She was not close enough to help him, but it looked like Volibear was doing fine against his opponent. Suddenly, it all changed. An arrow hit Volibear in his back, and her commander was now taking punches, the ones that he had easily dodged before. Her bear staggered backwards, trying to defend himself as good as possible. Sejuani nudged Bristle to make haste and get closer to them, she had to save the Ursine. Out of the blink, another arrow struck Volibear, and his opponent floored him with one uppercut. He said something to Volibear, and the terror that played in front of her eyes brought Sejuani to the brink of crying.  
"Come on, come on Volibear. Get up, you can do it…" She whispered to herself. Her hopes were cut off by the barrel that slammed down, finishing off one of her oldest and most trusted friends. "NO!" She screamed, and she moved Bristle to full speed, forcing everyone in her way to dodge to the sides and get out of her way.

* * *

**A/N: I will continue Soon(TM), but for now I`ll upload this. I think I`m around halfway the battle for the Freljord, and there is some interesting stuff coming up.**


	3. Last Queen Standing

**Chapter 3 - Last Queen Standing**

Four hours into battle, all arrows the Avarosan had have been depleted. The archers have picked up blades and spears of their fallen comrades and joined the battle. However, they are conscripts, and don`t stand much of a chance against the battle-hardened soldiers that Sejuani has brought to this battlefield. Ashe has showed up on the battlefield herself, and killed Volibear with the help of Gragas. Sejuani has moved her Queen`s Guard to the center of the battle, and is ready to face off against Ashe herself. Her left flank is gaining more ground, but the right flank of the Winter's Claw is wavering. After the struck that the Barbarian King had dealt to them, they have not been able to regain ground. It doesn`t really matter anyway, for the duel between the two queens would decide the fate of the battle anyway.

"Come on, come on Volibear. Get up, you can do it…" She whispered to herself. Her hopes were cut off by the barrel that slammed down, finishing off one of her first and most trusted friends. "NO!" She screamed, and she moved Bristle to full speed, forcing everyone in her way to dodge to the sides and get out of her way.

"You bitch!" She screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear even over the sounds of battle. "I will kill you for this!"  
She was now at the edge of the circle that Ashe and her rangers occupied and defended. Bristle lashed out and penetrated the armor of two of her rangers with his fangs, swinging them out of his way without slowing his speed. Their screams of pain didn`t find their way through her ears. All her senses were muted, and only focused on one thing: Ashe.

The subject of her anger turned herself towards the incoming threat, and sighed. Shaking her head she pulled her bowstring backwards. The leader of the Winter's Claw raised her shield to protect her face, and because of that she didn`t see the direction the arrow was flying. A soft "oink" underneath her was the only indication that something was wrong. Bristle never made any soft sounds while fighting. Especially no 'oinking'. Her boar slowed down, drastically. Sejuani looked down at her trusted friend, just at the moment that a second arrow found its way into Bristle`s soft throat.

Sejuani panicked. This wasn`t possible, not Bristle. Never… Yet, Bristle`s advance came to a sudden halt as a third arrow pierced the boar`s hide. It let out another "oink" before it dropped to the ground. Sejuani jumped out of the saddle and hurried to her mount`s side.  
"Easy buddy. You`re going to be fine. I`ll get you out of here, don`t worry. Don`t worry, it will be alright… I`ll…" She moved her hand to remove the blur out of her eyes. They were wet… For the first time in almost fifteen years, she was crying.  
"Hush… Stay down Brisy, stay down. I need to find Olaf, he`ll know how to help you." She said, her voice completely broken by now. She kept saying these things, while she knew that it was false, she knew that Bristle was going to die.

The moment her third arrow had left the bow, she knew that the duel was hers, before it had even started. The boar dropped to the ground, and Sejuani had lost all her will to fight or resist her now. Gragas was standing at her side, shaking his head at the sight of loss.  
"My Queen, it might be best to end this now. Best for both parties, I mean." He said, his queen replied with nothing but a short nod. She conjured another arrow, and whispered a prayer to all three of the sisters.

"I… I am sorry, Bristle. I should have listened to Udyr before all this happened. I should not have engaged them… I should have payed more attention, I should have kept you alive." Sejuani cried, her tears mixing with Bristle`s blood on top of his fur.  
"I will avenge you, my friend, I promise. Farewell…" She said, while putting her dagger on Bristle`s throat. They shared one last look, Bristle`s eyes filled with pain, her`s with sorrow, before she pulled the dagger with all the force that was in her body, shouting at the sky in the process.  
"Farewell Bristle… I will miss you." She rose to her feet, and looked as the blood and life flooded out of her boar`s throat.

Taking her flail back in her hands she turned around, searching for the cowardly acting archer that called herself queen. Her search didn`t take long, as she saw the blue cloak and bow next to the enormous and fat man. If she would have payed more attention, perhaps she would have noticed that there was an arrow lying ready on this bow, and that it was aimed at her.

The knockback caused her to take a full step back. Dropping her weapon she moved both of her hands towards her chest. She felt… cold. Her body, it was like it was freezing. Then, suddenly, she felt the pain. Originated from that same spot on her chest, it spreaded through her body. She didn`t even needed to look down to know that there was an arrow in her chest. Her heavy armor, normally not even the smallest hindrance for her, now felt as a thousand stones, pulling her down towards the ground. Sejuani tried her hardest to stay on her feet, but it was already too heavy for her to hold up. She fell to her knees, supporting herself with one hand on the frozen ground, her other hand at the wound in her chest.

"I`m sorry that it had to end like this, Sejuani. I truly am. May the ancestors watch over your soul." Ashe spoke to the chilling air around her.  
Forty meters away, her arch-nemesis was dying fast, next to the damping body of her warboar. "Gragas, do you think I should speak with her while she is dying?"  
Gragas shook his head, his belly joining the move. "No, I think not. It is just too much risk, for now we should focus on winning this battle, or forcing them to surrender."

The world around her was bright, very so. The white snow glittered in the sun, and somewhere in her mind Sejuani came to the conclusion that it would now be somewhere around noon. A few moments back, the pain had disappeared from her body, leaving her on her back, looking up at the sky. She wondered, what her mother would have thought of her now, and what would happen to her tribe and friends, and how Ashe would rule the Freljord. All these thoughts were slowly covered by another thought as the leader of the Winter's Claw felt her last bits of energy leave her. At least she had died in battle, one where she had fought till the very end. That she died here, was always better than to die in a place far away, in a way that nobody would remember her. Slowly, a small smile appeared on her lips as she whispered the last word she would ever speak in this life: "Yes…"  
After this, she closed her eyes again, and with a last sharp breath her heart stopped beating, thus ending the life of Sejuani, queen of the Winter's Claw.

"Soldiers of the Winter's Claw. Your leader has been defeated, lay down your weapons and surrender, so that we can spare your lives. The Avarosan have won today, let us avoid further bloodshed!" Olaf couldn't believe what he'd just heard. His queen, the woman he would have followed to the Abyss and back, had been killed. Their war was lost, for with their queen`s falling, so did their cause. Sejuani had spoken to him and Volibear about this, just in case… They had been told to retreat, and search for a new leader to continue their quest for the unification of the Freljord. He shook his head once more, and looked at the squad of soldiers and boars around him. "Retreat!" He shouted, and joined his forces on the hurried retreat.

With the Winter's Claw in retreat, Ashe ordered her own forces to stand down and return to the hill, and regroup on High Peak to tend to the wounded, and catch their breaths. They had hoped that the battle would have been over with the death of the enemy leader, but their hopes turned out false. For underneath the lake, there was not just water, and behind the hill, there were no allies.

There was a flash, and a loud resonating sound, as if something had exploded. The shockblast threw Ashe to the ground, a fate shared by many of her soldiers. However, compared to some of them they were lucky. The Frozen Lake that they had been fighting on for so long shattered, and people fell into the waters, or were pierced by the ice. In mere seconds, their victory had turned into a massacre by an unknown enemy. While laying on the ground, still unable to move, Ashe used the time to think of the enemy who would do this. Sejuani was beyond imagination, they would never try to win a war by such dishonest means. The cries of her soldiers continued, but there was the sound of fighting as well. Had the Winter's Claw decided to turn around and claim revenge for their Queen`s dead? Ashe reached for her bow and climbed back onto her feet. The sight that enrolled before her eyes was one of terror. An entire army had appeared from behind the mountains, and apparently also from beneath the frozen lake. There were trolls, and also other soldiers that weren't fully human, that were fighting her men. It was a one-sided slaughter for the most part, since most of her soldiers weren't able to move because of the shockwave, or just because of the exhaustion that comes with five or six hours of constant fighting. The queen of the Freljord fell to her knees in unbelief. How was this possible? They had won, it should have ended at that. They should have been able to return home and live their lives in peace. It wasn't supposed to be like this… Not after all their deaths, it just shouldn't…  
"Look, there she is." Someone grunted behind her. It was all the warning that she got before something hard hit her head, and now yet another queen of the freljord was unable to move. But the fate of a captured queen, is sometimes even worse than the fate of a dead one.

...

The blast had thrown his fat body away from his queen, and when he was finally able to get back on his feet, Gragas could only watch when his queen dropped to her knees, and failed to notice the two trolls that approached her from behind. Ashe was knocked down and dropped with her face into the snow. The trolls reached down to grab her and dragged her away. He wouldn't have much time to care about that, however. With the falling of his own queen, Gragas had to take care of the men that were now without command. Using his loud voice, he shouted at a small group of soldiers that they should gather with him, and that they had to rearrange their soldiers to make a stand against their newly appeared enemies. His fat appearance became a beacon for all the Avarosan warriors, and while they fought to rescue parts of their army that had been cut off from the rest, more and more soldiers started to regroup at their position.

Gragas continues roaming the battlefield, and an interesting development showed on the battlefield. The unknown enemies had just as easily turned their weapons at the soldiers of the Winter's Claw that had been caught up in the explosion, and with the retreat of the main force, they were without command while being slaughtered.

...

"We head for the Avarosan commander, it is our only hope." Wiglaf spoke to the few men that were still alive. He despised himself for this command, but he was too caring for his men`s lives to stay stubborn and fight an unwinnable battle till the unavoidable death. He knew that most of his men thought about this in the same way, and he saw their faces turn dark. All of them had lost good friends to the Avarosan, most of them in the past few hours. Wiglaf also knew that the Avarosan wouldn't be too keen to welcome them in their presence, for even when you share a common enemy, that doesn't make your first enemy a friend. He could only hope that the enemy commander would not hold too many grudges, or was smart enough to realise that they would not turn their weapons on the Avarosan. His men knew of the internal debate that was going on inside him, since they were having the same conversations with themselves. His second in command, a young man named Ordin, did what was expected of a secondary commander, and agreed with Wiglaf, thus making the decision for everyone. In speed, they made their way to the place where the Avarosan made their stand.

...

"Commander Gragas, there is a group of Winter`s coming towards our position. What should we do?"  
"Ya think they are here for trouble, soldier?"  
"No Sir, not against us at least. We watched them fending off several trolls a moment ago."  
"Well then, what`s the problem? The more men and weapons we have, the more might actually be able to survive this day."  
"Yes Sir, at once Sir." The soldier replied, leaving the fat commander alone once again. The past thirty minutes had been obnoxious, and really tiresome. Gragas was no commander, just a fighter. The strategic decisions were the ones that he left for either his queen or Tryndamere. But now, he was responsible. The army of the Winter's Claw had retreated, and they had left them alone on this frozen battlefield. And now, those that had not been able to flee the battlefield in time, were desperate enough to join the ranks of the Avarosan, at least for the moment being. He shook his head in disbelieve, and headed towards their right flank, where the Winter's would contact his army.

...

"Trolls, four, to the right!"  
"Iceborn`s Balls! Will there be no end to them?" Wiglaf cursed, looking at the new group of trolls that was closing in on their position. His man were all near exhaustion, and most of them were at least carrying several wounds. They had fought of many trolls this day, but with each new group of enemies, Wiglaf feared that it might just be their last.  
"We`re almost there guys, hold on." He said, as some words of encouragement as they continued moving towards the place where the Avarosan had digged themselves in.  
"Trolls are closing in!"  
"Prepare for impact, defensive formation! Jonas, Olle and Varric, you three put your shields together and catch the first blow. The rest of you, we attack as soon as they touch our shields."  
As they continued moving on, their positions swifted as the shieldbearers that were in Wiglaf`s company took to the right flank, not slowing down their speed at all.

...

"Commander, the Winter's are about to be engaged on by a group of trolls, and a bigger group is trying to cut them off from our position. Orders?"  
Gragas looked over the battlefield and came to the same conclusion as his second. The Winter's would probably be able to fight off the small groups for a while, but in the end they would be doomed. The fat Freljordian was facing a dilemma, on the one side he wanted to help the Winter's who were looking for help from the Avarosan.  
On the other side was the fact that doing so would probably cost the lives of several of his own soldiers, more than when they would stayed digged in and fend off the small groups of enemies. Either he sacrificed his former enemies, that would become allies should they stay alive, or he sacrificed his own soldiers and made sure that the Winter's would join their side. It was not only the short term that Gragas was thinking about. To make a chance against this new enemy, the Freljord had to be united.  
Saving soldiers from the other camp could just give them a small headstart. Grunting, Gragas made the decision. He would continue the dream of his queen in uniting the Freljord.

...

The fat commander led his army out of the relative safety of their positions, and engaged the trolls from behind, cutting a path for the wounded and exhausted soldiers through the army of the Trolls. After this had succeeded, the army pulled back into their fortress. At the same time, the core of what was left of the Winter's Claw army had retreated from the battlefield. Led by the viking warrior Olaf and the monk that went by the name of Udyr, they had regrouped a mile away from the frozen lake. After the explosion, and the appearance of yet another army, a swift council was gathered.

"And I tell you, Udyr, that there are still warriors of the Winter's Claw over there, as well as an enemy that might threaten the entire Freljord in due time. If we do not act now, we might never have the chance to!" The viking was almost roaring, as was understandable. They had lost their queen and one of their best friends and commanders after all. Still, Udyr did not agree with the way Olaf was thinking right now.

"The battle of the Frozen Lake is lost, Olaf. All we could do now is consolidate our losses. If we engage now, and we lose, the entire Freljord will fall to that unknown enemy. We should stay back, and make sure that we-"

They were interrupted by a soldier that rushed at them. "Commanders! There is a man from the mountains that desires to speak with you. He said he had crucial information and support for this battle!"

Directly after the soldier, a man entered the room. His body almost made Olaf`s looked frail in comparison. Aside from that, his face was decorated with a mighty moustache, one that would make every living man bow their head in respect. When Olaf had lifted his head up again, he looked into the eyes of the Heart of the Freljord. His eyes showed a mix of anger and disappointment.  
His voice, however, was still as jolly as Olaf remembered: "Olaf! It is so good to see you again. Tell me, why are you not fighting?"  
This caused the viking to shot a glance at Udyr, who shook his head.

The viking replied to the moustached men, who was known as Braum. "We are staying in our encampment in an attempt to save some of our men, Braum. You know that that is the only sane option. If we go out there, and get defeated, it will all be over for the Freljord. The last reports state that both queens have been killed in the battle or explosion, and thus we are staying here, to protect the passage, and thus prevent them from entering the Freljord from the highland."

"You are not foolish. But you need not fear, Braum`s here. Now, follow me to the battlefield. The Avarosan, and your soldiers, need our help."

It was all that Braum said before leaving the ring of commanders, heading in the direction of the passage, towards the place where the battle was still going on.

...

"My Queen, we have subdued and captured the Avarosan Bitch, and our forces will soon be prepared to join the vanguard on the battlefield. The Winter's Claw has retreated, and its leftovers are being dealt with. The Avarosan digged themselves in, and are holding our trolls off for now. As soon as the rest of the army arrives, they will be crushed." Trundle finished his report without looking up to the throne of "true ice", and the woman that had taken her seat upon it.

"We have Ashe? Very good. Lock her up for now, I will deal with her once this battle is over. Now, let`s inspect the battlefield, shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, she rose from her throne and summoned a platform of the same true ice. Lissandra smiled, it was official now. She was the last queen standing.

* * *

**I won`t promiss anything regarding chapter 4, for I am currently stuck with school, and I`ll probably miss any date or schedule that I would promiss. In the meantime, check out some of my other stories. I have a League/SwordArtOnline-crossover that I`m writing together with WingsOfRequiem, it features several champions who are stuck in Aincrad. The rest of my stories are kinda on hiatus, but I`m publishing some small one-shots every now and then (mostly Anime-related lately...)  
****That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a wonderful day.**

**-Alsodef**


End file.
